


Venomous Serpants Who Clothe in Flowers

by dontstudywritenovels



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, Jealous Derek (kinda), M/M, Past Abuse, Racist Language, Will Needs a Hug, but implied - Freeform, not said, past bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 00:44:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9467810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontstudywritenovels/pseuds/dontstudywritenovels
Summary: Sometimes, Will realized, as he was sitting in his truck with a black eye given to him by the same boy who kissed him silly behind closed doors, people say they love you because they want you to stay, not because they mean it.orWill had an abusive, asshole boyfriend in high school -who he left to go to Samwell. Said boyfriend shows up at the Haus door one day.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Everyone who feels like they aren't enough](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Everyone+who+feels+like+they+aren%27t+enough).



> Warning: There is some graphic violence, but it isn't fully descriptive, it more just mentions the injuries and blood.

Derek was acutely aware of the fact that he and Will weren’t technically together _yet_ . Key word being yet. They hadn’t had sex, hadn’t kissed, hadn’t even been on a date, but that was only because Nursey was still courting his fellow d-man. He knew Dex liked to take relationships slow, and Nurse was more than willing to woo Will all he liked. Derek had actually been about to ask Will on a first date -the courting having gone surprising well, when _he_ showed up.

 

Will didn’t talk about past boyfriends to anyone. Derek honestly didn’t even think he had any, with the way Will talked about homophobia in Maine.

 

It was Ransom who opened the door to a guy who immediately asked if they knew Will, but it was just the way he said Dex’s name that made Derek’s blood coil, the slight smirk in his thin lips.

 

Patrick, as he had introduced himself, was attractive to say the least -tall, brunette, and skin fair, but not blotchy fair.

 

Derek knew Dex was on his way from library, Derek was supposed to go with him, but since he couldn’t usually focus on writing when Dex was doing the lip-bitey-face-scrunch thing, he decided it wouldn’t be the best idea. Patrick was sat across from him, and Derek used his energy of the entire visit to effectively glare at him. Nursery knew competition when it was looking him in the face, practically smirking at him in the face, _honestly_. Bitty had served him some pie, which yeah, Derek was a little peeved about -he didn’t need the enemy well fed too!

 

“Uh, you don’t like me, huh?” Derek continued to glare, but the trance was soon interrupted by Dex’s entrance.

 

“Hey guys, Nurse texted me that something was-” Dex looked up from his phone and didn’t even need to glance twice. His eyes were wide, skin gone a little pale, and fists were clenching.

 

“Get out.”

 

“Will-”

 

“No, get out,” Will looked to Derek, “Do not leave me alone with him.”

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Derek promised, glaring at the brunette again. The officially uninvited guest glanced between them.

 

“Will, I drove all the way out here to just tal-”

 

“I don’t care! Get out!” Will was a yeller, Derek knew this, his face would get red, vein popping in his neck, but this wasn’t yelling. It was more of a shout, a plea for help, and it made since since he looked afraid out of his skin.

 

“Will-”

 

“Sorry, dude, but I think Will told you to leave.” Shitty place a hand on the guy’s shoulder, almost like he was saying that if the guy didn’t move, they would move him.

 

“I-” They guy had stood, but didn’t make a move for the door, but Ransom and Holster were there in an instant, picking the guy up by his shoulders and dragging him out.

 

“I’m not going home, Will! I’ll wait! I’m not leaving until we talk!” The older d-men threw him out on his ass, slamming the door, and actually _locking_ it. When Derek looked back at Will he was shaking a little, Bitty and Jack were trying to sooth him, Derek got up and led Dex to sit in his spot, murmuring words for the shorter to focus on.

 

“I’m fine,” Will choked, “Seeing him just shook me up a little, I’m good.”

 

When Dex had calmed down, the team attempted to try and understand the situation. Will was looking at his feet and Derek stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders.

 

“Is he an ex, honey?” Dex had long ago come out as gay to the team, so it was a pretty logical conclusion.

 

“Yeah,” Will placed his head in his hands, “I’m sorry guys, I didn’t mean for him to show up here.”

 

“We are more worried about you, Bro. He must have been a bad ex,” Shitty suggested.

 

“He is, he is a fucking asshole, who only fucking cares about himself, but I just, fuck,” Will sighs. “I always fucking let me think he’s changed, that it will be different, but it never was.”  

 

Derek breathed, trying to stay chill, “I swear to fucking God, Will, did he-”

 

“Sometimes,” Will bit off, ”but it wasn’t exactly what you think, I-”

 

“Are you about to fucking defend him?” Holster was angry suddenly, skin a blotchy red. However, the angry tone made Will flinch, so Holster immediately tried to calm himself down. Everyone still became simultaneously pissed, however, even Chowder and Bitty looked ready to kill anyone who touched Dex.

 

“I just, he, I was out, in Maine, everyone knew I was gay, but he was, he was in the closet. Like deep, deep in the closet. He can’t come out. I know his dad, he’s fucking awful,” Dex brought his knees to his chest.

“At school he was mean, it was really bad, but no one, no one really cared to stop him. All his friends edged him on and I, I can’t stop myself from forgiving him.”

 

“He told me he loved me every time, every day he would come over and try to make it better.”

 

Will was crying now, something no one on the team had seen him do. He quickly wiped at his face, “I'm sorry, I’m acting like an idiot.”

 

“ _Fuck_ that. Will, he is an absolute jerk and I’ll fucking kick his ass if I see him again,” Derek is in front of Will now, “Please don’t think for a second you aren’t allowed to feel sad and mad or confused or anything Will. What he did to you-”

 

Derek might me crying a little now, but, right now, he needs to be strong for Will, “You didn’t deserve that, and I won’t let it happen again.”

 

The team spent the rest of the night watching movies, making stupid jokes, and horsing around. Dex and Nurse were tangled across the gross couch, Will allowing himself to be held. It was fun and it made it easy to forget about what had happened.

 

Sadly, that only lasted until the next day. Classes went by without a hitch, a member of the team always with him, mostly Derek and Chowder, but he ate lunch with Shitty and got coffee with Ransom.

 

Will was excited for practice, excited to get some of this anger out through the contact sport, even if he couldn’t be too rough. Practice went well, they ran drills and Nursey and him ran some plays. It wasn’t until the team filed into the locker room when things went downhill. Will had barely shucked on his sweats, when a voice came up behind him.

 

“Will.”

 

Will spun around in surprise and so did the majority of his team mates.

 

What the hell?” Dex shouted, coming face to face with Patrick.

 

“How did you get in here,” Derek was holding himself back, attempting to keep himself calm, Holster rested a hand on Dex’s shoulder -reminding him the team had his back.

 

“I, uh, told your coach that I was your brother,” The dick didn’t dare look at Derek, only maintaining his eye contact with Dex.

 

“Fine, just fucking fine,” Will rubbed a hand over his face, “Say it, just get it over with.”

 

Patrick breathed a quick sigh of relief.

“Will, I came out.” Will’s eyes widened at that, he had been anticipating the usual ‘ _I miss you_ ,’ the ‘ _I'm so sorry, baby_ .’ Not, just not _that_ . Because, well, that _everything_ his younger self dreamt of hearing, and it really stung that it was happening now, like this.

 

“I’m happy for you,” Will looked him in the eye, he could give him that.

 

“Look, I’ve been thinking lately. About what I want in life, about where I want to be, and who I want to be with,” Patrick took a step forward and Will easily took a step back.

“I know I messed up-”

 

“You’ve said this before-”

 

“But I told my dad I’m gay because I can’t stop thinking of you,” and, yeah, admittedly Will wants to cry now.

 

“I love you, Will.”

 

Suddenly, Dex is done crying, now he is just angry.

 

“You know what, Patty?” Will took a step forward and Patrick followed his lead. “I’ve been so fucking forgiving, every time because I thought you loved me. Except, I get it now. I’m stronger now, I have people who have my back now. You _never_ fucking loved me.” Will could remember the nights alone, crying into his pillow, attempting to convince himself that his boyfriend loved him, that Patrick just needed time, but he was done, so fucking done with waiting for the snake to shed its skin.

 

“Will-” The brunette choked.

 

“And I don’t love you.” Will was fuming.

 

“You never even wanted to go here! You always wanted to stay in Maine! And, now,” His tone was suddenly dark, “and now, what? You want to stay with him?”

 

Derek locked eyes with Patrick, about to open his mouth to say something, except, Patrick continued

 

“He just some stupid-”

 

Everything stopped then, time felt constricting, like Dex could hardly breath. The word, the fucking slur, that followed threw Dex for a loop, but soon he was seeing red. He pushed Holster’s hands off his shoulder, the blond not even attempting to hold him back, and threw himself at Patrick.

 

Dex couldn’t hear the screams of his team over the blood and adrenaline pounding in his veins. He thought of all the times Derek held him, all the moments when Nursey would bring him coffee and they watched Netflix all night. All the bad times when Derek would tell Dex the stories about being stopped by racist cops, afraid, fucking terrified, because he might never say goodbye to his moms. All the times people looked at Derek wearily when they walked into a store. All the times Nursey had told him he was used to it.

 

The blood on Dex’s hand couldn’t compare to the amount of anger he felt, the fact that anyone would say anything like that about the sweet, handsome, caring boy who was Derek Malik Nurse.

 

He had to be pulled off of Patrick, Derek was holding him, telling him it was okay, but Dex knew it wasn’t.

 

Dex reached up, his red-stained and bruised knuckles, to Derek’s face, grazing his, admittedly, bloody fingers across the dark of Nursy’s cheekbone -crossing the track of tears. He knew his face was the same, probably worse with the already swelling of his lip.

  
“I don’t care what he does to me,” Dex began, “but he’s not allowed, never allowed to hurt you.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading! Much love
> 
> Title reference belongs to: A Farewell to False Love by Sir Walter Ralegh


End file.
